Cameras and Camera Control Units (“CCUs”) are generally used together to acquire and process images. A camera and CCU may be housed as a single unit or may be separate from one another, being connected, for example, by a cable or wireless connection. A camera may be remotely held away from a CCU in situations where space is limited or mobility is desired, such as during endoscopic surgery. Cameras used during endoscopic surgery are typically referred to as heads or camera heads, which house single or multiple imaging devices, such as charge coupled devices and the like, for image acquisition. Typically, acquired, or picked up, image data is sent by the camera head to the CCU. Upon receiving the image data from the camera head, the CCU processes the signal to display the acquired image on a viewing device, which is generally used by a medical professional and/or for storage on various media (video cassette recorder, floppy disk, hard drives, compact disks, digital video disks, and the like) and/or for transmission to remote locations in various manners, such as by the Intranet, Internet, radio transmission, and the like.
Additionally, the CCU typically sends commands to the camera head to adjust various settings (i.e. color balance, electronic shutter for light sensitivity, and other optical and electronic characteristics).
Traditionally, CCUs are compatible with a limited number of camera heads. A CCU's hardware is difficult to configure for proper communication with varying types of camera heads. Typically, camera heads use various types of imaging devices that can differ in pixel resolution, timing requirements (i.e. PAL, NTSC, Progressive, and other formats), signal output type (i.e. analog or digital), physical size, and in other characteristics. Furthermore, there may be variability from device to device of the same type, which could affect camera head performance. Additionally, commands sent from the CCU to the camera head are generally unique depending upon the camera head type being used. Moreover, as repairs, modifications, or improvements are made to camera heads, the CCU, which was originally designed to be compatible with the older camera head, may become incompatible and require upgrading as well.
This overall variability in camera heads, either caused by imaging device technologies or by CCU command characteristics, often results in a CCU being specifically designed to be compatible with each camera head type utilized.
Moreover, CCUs are typically designed for use with camera head technologies currently in existence, and not designed to anticipate and accommodate camera heads yet to be developed. Hence, CCUs are typically not designed to be compatible with future camera head technologies; particularly, image device and image signal transmission technologies. These differences between older and newer camera heads also contribute to compatibility problems.
Because CCUs are usually compatible with limited quantities of camera heads, CCUs are typically discarded in favor of ones that were designed concurrently and/or to be compatible with particular camera head technologies. Consequently, CCUs have become an added expense often associated with changing imaging devices or camera heads. Further, it is typically desired for camera heads to be improved due to the demand from consumers to have the latest technology and advancement in equipment. Moreover, CCUs used in medical and veterinary fields are increasingly being mounted permanently in equipment bays or carts and/or permanently mounted within the walls of surgical operating rooms themselves. The expense associated with replacing CCUs to maintain compatibility with camera heads is subsequently passed onto consumers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,166 to D'Alfonso et al. (“D'Alfonso”) relates to a video camera system for reading operating parameter information from a memory device located on the camera head and using the information to adjust the camera control unit so that signals sent from the control unit to the camera head provide optimum operating conditions for the imager. The invention conditions the camera control unit to receive future image signals of a particularly type or protocol. This advantageously permits interchangeable camera heads to be used with camera control units.
However, the operating information for permitting such interchangeability is stored on the memory device, which is located on the camera head. Further, the information is not transferred to, and stored on, the control unit to overwrite an overwritable or configurable portion of the control unit. This disadvantageously results in a need to transfer operating information back and forth from the camera head to the control unit. In addition to the image data and signals being transmitted back and forth from the camera head to the control unit, where image data typically consumes large amounts of memory, the transfer of operating information further undesirably slows the overall operation of the video camera system. Additionally, D'Alfonso does not disclose a configurable or programmable hardware device to which an application may be written or for overwriting an existing application. Instead, D'Alfonso requires reading information from a memory device, which is located apart from the control unit.
Therefore, what is desired is to provide a CCU that is capable of maintaining compatibility with camera heads utilizing various technologies. What is also desired is to provide a CCU having a configurable hardware component, thereby resulting in a CCU capable of maintaining performance compatibility with various camera heads utilizing various technologies.